I know in the old mod guide there wasn't too much info on adding turbo and what mods are needed for it. Was wondering if there is any current guides to put everything together.

2005 Monte Carlo LT l36

35,000 Miles in great condition.

Goal: Daily driver making 350 - 450 whp. I would like to do legal drag racing with it down the road when everything comes together.

Current mods: ram air. Magnaflow catback street series. High flow cat with down pipe to replace that u-bend.

 

Nice thing is to get into the power range you want, there isnt much needed. Just buy one of the intercooled turbo kits available and buy some way to increase octane (E85 setup or meth injection) and you'll be there all day.

Best thing you can do is keep the power mod list simple and dump all your spare cash into a fully built trans.


I'll say the same line here that I always do when this topic comes up - if you're really serious about drag racing, I'd really suggest some other platform before you dump a bunch of money in this one.

Assuming you buy all new, a turbo kit, meth kit, drag wheels / radials, and a built trans is an easy $10k. That's a healthy start into something more suited for drag racing. These cars are heavy (unless you plan to gut it), FWD, and have a notoriously weak trans. Certainly not the ideal place to get serious about drag racing.

If you're still dead set about moving forward with a turbo and drag racing this platform, go all out on the trans build from the start so you dont break it so soon and have to do it again.

Unfortunately you'll have to replace both the cold air intake and the downpipe with turbo kit pieces. Should be able to make a few bucks back selling them though.

 

Thanks bumpin. Hey aren't I okay with not having to replace the downpipe because it's the zzp one? And I'm guessing cai would be gone because the turbo replaces that area?

 

I cant think of any turbo kits that use a stock style downpipe. The outlet connection is fine, the problem is up front where it hooks to the stock rear manifold. On the Z3 and cartuning kits, they put a block off plate on that stock outlet and mount the waste gate there.

On the Z7 and Stattama kits, the waste gate is up by the turbo, so you either completely block off that stock rear outlet or run a rear turbo PLOG that deletes that stock outlet connection point completely.


But yeah, you're spot on with the CAI issue, that area gets filled up on a turbo kit with piping and the turbo itself.

 

I think we had a miscommunication. I have the High the flow cat/downpipe from zzp. So what meant was since I have the zzp down pipe installed wouldn't I be okay with not having to sell that downpipe?

 

I know exactly what you mean, but what I'm trying to say is that the place it bolts up to the engine side of the exhaust physically wont exist anymore with a turbo kit.

With a Z3 or Cartuning there is a waste gate in the way. With a Z7 or Stattama and rear turbo power log, that flange is gone completely; the replacement rear manifold will look just like your stock front manifold, just flipped around.

There literally wont be anywhere to connect your current downpipe. The ONLY aftermarket downpipe thatll work with a turbo kit is if you had one made for aftermarket TOG headers, and that's only true with some of the ZZP turbo kits. Sounds like what you've got is just a direct fit replacement for the stock downpipe, and that's a no-go for a turbo kit. I wouldn't worry too much though, downpipes are generally easy to sell to recoup a bit of the cost.

 

what could I add right now for performance before getting transmission and turbo added. Basically what parts that will be complimentary so I dont need to sell the parts when i add turbo.

Honestly with drag racing itd definitely be down the road like probably a few years or when I have a higher paying job to get me to that point.

 

My personal opinion - if you're serious about a turbo down the road, I'd take all your mod money and save it until you can afford the turbo.

The NA 3800s respond extremely poorly to mods. There are some mods that can carry over (rockers, a cam, heads being a few examples), but in the meantime they'll make trivial power gains and will eat significantly into your progress for a turbo.

 

I was thinking of getting turbo cam, throttle body, shift kit, and hv3 then tune. Just to have some fun with my monte for a bit. And then save up for that turbo with another tune once I get it. Also, during the process of saving for the turbo I'd save up for the best transmission on cartuning.

I've been trying to look in different forums for if I was able to use a turbo cam N/A for now. Was thinking if I tuned all of that I wouldn't have a lower performance or engine issues with the cam? Would that be okay for now just to get some power?

Thanks for the responses Bumpin. I've looked all in the forum and really appreciate all the info you've provided everyone!

 

Only thing I'd pass on is the TB. There is a small gain NA, but the gains are basically zero once boosted (running boosted air through it). It wouldn't hurt anything to leave it on, it just wont help. Also keep in mind that you dont really need any of these mods to hit your power goals.

I'd give Triple Edge a look on transmissions. They're one of the main go to shops for 4t65s and have done a ton of high power builds.

No doubt any turbo cam will work and be drivable. The big question mark is power gains. Very few people follow the path you're talking, and I'd imagine the number of people who dyno it in that condition is near zero on the 3800 platform.

Part of the question is what cam you go with. Cams for NA power are pretty different from turbo cams. The bigger the cam you get, the more deviation between the two.

My only concern would be getting a giant cam as thatll be the least ideal for NA operation. Itll also push the power band higher in the rpm range and will make the car real soft down low.

Regardless, I wouldn't buy it at all for NA performance. Even the NA specific cams dont make squat for power on the 3800. Yours will certainly make even less while NA, so we're talking extremely small power gains while still NA. My point is that if you're set on a turbo cam, I'd totally ignore how poorly itll work now as itll really shine and add good power once you add the turbo.